Istanbul’s “Sayfiye” Areas in the Period 1851-1923: Cultural and Urban Dynamics of Transformation
İstanbul, respected for its geostrategic value and richly woven historical fabric, comes on too strong with its fame as one of the megacity centres on the global stage. Throughout history, specifically during the summer months, İstanbul’s “sayfiye” and its surroundings have provided a peaceful shelter for the city’s residents by ensuring a significant balance required for the hectic nature of the city. These areas have also played an important role in order to shape the city’s social norms by encouraging sociological harmony and making the cultural exchange easier. This study aims to study the evaluation of the historical and spatial dynamics among the socio-cultural changes of İstanbul's “sayfiye” areas during this period. The paper, while expanding through 1923 starting from the Byzantine, makes emphasis on improving the “sayfiye” areas between 1851 and 1923 by relying on the profound sources to illuminate the “sayfiye” places’ real place in İstanbul’s urban transformation. Besides, it studies in detail how the “sayfiye” culture affected the lifestyles, social and cultural structure of people who live in İstanbul. In the introduction, the context between İstanbul and the term “sayfiye” has been studied by explaining the true meaning and the history of the term. In the first chapter, an analysis of the roots of the term “sayfiye” and its evolution through İstanbul has been conducted, and the effects on the socio-cultural structure of this term have been researched. In the second chapter, the historical development of İstanbul's “sayfiye” areas has been systematically discussed from the Byzantine Period to 1923, when the Republic of Turkey was founded and particularly focused on the data acquired between 1851 and 1923. In the last chapter of the paper, based on the findings obtained, a general assessment of the effects of İstanbul's “sayfiye” culture on urban and social structure is presented.
1851-1923 Döneminde İstanbul’un Sayfiye Alanları: Dönüşümün Kültürel ve Kentsel Dinamikleri
İstanbul, stratejik konumu ve zengin tarihi ile dünya üzerindeki önemli metropoller arasında yer almaktadır. Tarih boyunca, özellikle yaz aylarında, kentin sıcak ve yoğun yaşamından uzaklaşma fırsatı sunan sayfiye alanları, kent sakinlerine doğayla iç içe, huzurlu bir ortam sağlamış, sosyal ve kültürel etkileşimleri teşvik ederek kentin sosyal dokusuna önemli katkılarda bulunmuştur. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, İstanbul'un sayfiye alanlarının tarihî ve mekânsal dinamiklerini, ilgili dönemin sosyokültürel değişimleri ışığında değerlendirerek bu bölgelerin kent üzerindeki etkilerini incelemektir. Araştırma, Bizans Dönemi'nden 1923 yılına kadar olan süreci kapsamakta ancak özellikle 1851 ile 1923 yılları arasında sayfiye bölgelerinin evrimi ve zengin veriler ışığında İstanbul'un kentsel dönüşümü içerisindeki konumları üzerine yoğunlaşmaktadır. Ayrıca sayfiye kültürünün İstanbul halkının yaşam biçimlerine, sosyal ve kültürel yapıya olan etkileri detaylı bir şekilde ele alınmaktadır. Giriş bölümünde, sayfiye kavramının anlamı ve tarihî önemi açıklanarak İstanbul ile bu kavram arasındaki bağlam irdelenmiştir. İlk bölümde, sayfiye kavramının kökenleri ve İstanbul'daki evrimi üzerine bir analiz gerçekleştirilerek bu kavramın şehrin sosyal ve kültürel yapısındaki etkileri incelenmiştir. İkinci bölümde, İstanbul'un sayfiye bölgelerinin tarihî gelişimi Bizans Dönemi'nden Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nin kuruluş yılı olan 1923'e kadar sistemli bir şekilde ele alınmış ve özellikle 1851-1923 dönemi arasındaki verilere odaklanılmıştır. Çalışmanın son bölümünde, elde edilen bulgular üzerinden İstanbul'un sayfiye kültürünün kentsel ve sosyal yapı üzerindeki etkilerine dair genel bir değerlendirme sunulmuştur.
The term “sayfiye” refers to the settlements preferred by urban residents who want to escape the hot and hectic life of cities in summer. These areas are close to the city centre and offer urban residents a life intertwined with nature and the sea. This concept, which derives from the Arabic word “sayf” (summer), has been used to describe a way of life adopted principally in İstanbul during the summer months. The different geographical conditions of the city have given the opportunity for the development of many country areas at the same time and at different times. In the historical period, these regions have not only been areas for rest and entertainment. At the same time, by providing cultural interaction between the people, it has prepared the ground for the emergence of a different lifestyle and socio-economic structure from the city centre in these areas.
“Sayfiye” areas are especially important in the history of cities in the 19th century. It can be considered an important balance element that has emerged against industrialising and crowded urban environments since the middle of the century. Moving away from the city for health and recreation refers not only to physical needs, but also to a quiet environment where people can be alone with nature and get away from the pressures of city life. Especially, the “sayfiye” lifestyle in 19th-century İstanbul symbolises getting away from the restricting conditions of urban life temporarily and becoming free. In the summer time, the increasing heatwave and the population density in the capital city have led families more likely from upper and middle economic income groups to coastal and rural settlements. The seasonal movement in İstanbul has provided a basis of suburbs, as much as it did for the “sayfiye” areas. This is how the organic relationship between the “sayfiye” culture of İstanbul and the urbanisation forms has emerged.
The study focuses on the period between 1851- 1923 when İstanbul had overcome significant political, sociological and cultural transformations. Although the scope of the study extends from the Byzantine period to the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, the years 1851-1923 appear to be the most important period that accelerates change and determines the transformation of “sayfiye” areas. During this period, the fact that the modern public transportations had started to operate both on sea and air, the implementation of comprehensive legal reforms, which began with the proclamation of the Tanzimat, and significant changes in social life have played an important role in the formation and transformation of the “sayfiye” regions.
Long before this transformation process, “sayfiye” regions had mostly belonged to sultans and the courtiers in palaces. During the Byzantine and early Ottoman periods, palaces, monasteries, and villas located on the shores of the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea again stand out as “sayfiye” areas used by the ruling sector. However, in the 19th century, transporting these areas became easier, especially with the spread of scheduled steamship and train lines. In particular, these developments in transportation have made the “sayfiye” areas cease to be privileged places and have enabled them to turn into areas that can be used and reached by wider segments of society economically. This transformation in the Ottoman capital also harmonises with Europe and America, where going to coastal and rural recreation areas has become part of a modern lifestyle.
The main purpose of this study is to analyse the historical and spatial dynamics of “sayfiye” areas in İstanbul in the context of urban development and socio-cultural transformations. The study reveals how the “sayfiye” settlements in İstanbul have evolved architecturally and spatially and how the transformation in leisure practices has taken place while transforming into suburbs and eventually an urban area. In addition, the research examines how “sayfiye” areas take on a role as social circles in which the socio-cultural characteristics of urban residents are redefined differently from those in the city centre.
This research has adopted an interdisciplinary approach that methodically combines disciplines such as historical geography, urban sociology, architectural history and cultural landscape analysis. The comprehensive examination of archival documents, historical maps, cadastral records, periodical publications, travel books and visual materials such as engravings and postcards constitutes the basis of the study. Primary sources such as Erkan-ı Harbiye Maps, Necip Bey Maps and archival documents provide important information about the settlement patterns and property structures of “sayfiye” areas. These documents were supported by the analysis of memories and depictions of the period. Therefore, an attempt has been made to create a holistic framework that reveals the social, cultural and spatial dimensions of İstanbul’s “sayfiye” life in detail.
Additionally, in order to monitor spatial transformations and settlement morphologies over time, the analyses performed using period maps were used. It contributes to the spatial analysis of the publications of the period and the content analysis of personal narratives, daily life practices, architectural texture and country areas. Comparative spatial analysis conducted between different “sayfiye” regions such as the Bosphorus coasts, Princes’ Islands, Kadıköy- Bostancı and Yeşilköy reveals the different development processes of these recreational areas. In this context, the role of transportation routes, the process of opening land plots for reconstruction and public-private space relations have been specially considered.
The findings of the study reveal that the fact that the transformation of “sayfiye” regions in İstanbul cannot be independently evaluated without studying both urbanisation and urban sprawl. There are some interrelated reasons that trigger this transformation:
• Developments in the field of transportation: The launch of scheduled ferry services by Şirket-i Hayriye in 1851 and the start of scheduled commuter trains on both sides of İstanbul in the following period significantly increased the accessibility of the “sayfiye” areas. These developments have made long-term seasonal stays possible, as well as daily and shorter-term visits. The simplification of weekend or daily trips has allowed leisure time to be integrated more fluidly into everyday life.
• Legal reforms: The enactment of the 1858 Land Law and the regulations that followed it ensured the spread of private property in “sayfiye” areas and the facilitation of land purchases and sales. The parcelling out of lands due to supply around these areas and their subsequent sale by the state accelerated the transformation of these areas into suburbs. These reforms not only accelerated the suburbanisation process but also directed a great number of investors to these areas.
• Social diversifications and multiculturalism: “Sayfiye” style of living attracted not only Ottoman elites but also non-muslim communities, Levantines and foreign nationalities to itself. This multicultural structure contributed to cosmopolitan lifestyles by making socio-cultural make up particularly in regions as Tarabya, Yeşilköy and the Princes’ Islands. Thus, the multicultural urban identity that existed in the city centre has also appeared in “sayfiye” regions as well.
• Architectural and Urban Development: The transition process from temporary wooden summer houses to permanent masonry and then reinforced concrete villas reflects a remarkable architectural change in the “sayfiye” areas in İstanbul. The most important features of these “sayfiye” residences are mostly eclectic stylistic elements, spacious patios, decorative details and carefully arranged gardens. These features of the structures, on the one hand, express the social status aspirations of the period, while on the other hand, they show the desire to establish a closer relationship with nature.
• Urban Disasters: Fire, earthquake and epidemics: Frequent fires, cholera epidemics and earthquakes in the city centre have led people to settle temporarily or permanently in “sayfiye” areas located in a peripheral location away from the city centre. These areas offered both physically safer and more favourable living environments in terms of health under the conditions of the period. This perception of safety and health has led to the transformation of the country areas, which were initially used temporarily, into semi-permanent or even permanent settlements over time.
One of the focal points of the study is the study of the settlement texture and morphological differences in different “sayfiye” regions of the country. The Bosphorus shores attract attention as linear settlements that develop around piers, promenade areas and transportation centres and stretch along the coast. An important socio-spatial differentiation is observed in these settlements. While the mansions belonging to wealthy families are located in areas near the coast, there are local people engaged in fishing and agriculture in village centres, who live constantly in these areas throughout the year and meet the cleaning, maintenance and daily needs of summer residences. This situation reveals that “sayfiye” areas do have the potential not only for seasonal use, but also for permanent settlement and service production.
The Princes’ Islands exhibited a scattered and village-like settlement pattern, shaped around religious buildings, piers and squares. While Büyükada is standing out for its edifice mansions and lively cultural life, Heybeliada has serviced as the centre of education and marine. Burgazada, on the other hand, has offered a peaceful and forested getaway. Each island has developed their own unique identity following its natural characteristics and social structures.
Kadıköy-Bostancı has come to the fore with its grid-planned street layout, wooden mansions on large parcels, and transportation to this region is provided by trains and ferries. With its wide boulevards, right-angled street structure and detached villas, Yeşilköy reflects the European design approach shaped by the influence of Levantine and foreign communities. In these two regions, tea gardens, cinemas, first sea baths and then public beaches have been influential in the formation of an active social life.
“Sayfiye” settlements consist of lively commercial axes, usually filled with cafes, bakeries, bookstores, theatres and cinemas in the inner parts. Public gardens, seaside promenades and outdoor entertainment venues have enriched the public life of these regions by revealing both social integration and class separation. The more free and comfortable environment offered by hut life has prepared the ground for women and children to experience a freer life. Designed in a gender-sensitive way, sea baths have made it possible for women and children to go to the sea. Social events, the culture of going to the sea and music gatherings have enriched the social life of “sayfiye” culture.
At the end of the study, the decisive role of the “sayfiye” areas in the urban development process and cultural structure of İstanbul is revealed. These places should be evaluated not only as recreation and entertainment areas, but also as areas where new ways of life, architectural approaches, and spatial arrangements are applied. “Sayfiye” culture has left a permanent mark on İstanbul’s social memory by building a bridge between rural and urban life.
The heritage of “sayfiye” culture still keeps shaping today's İstanbul. The coastal regions and the Princes' Islands happen to face the growing construction pressure and transformations based on tourism. Knowing the historical importance and cultural worth of İstanbul's “sayfiye” regions has vital importance regarding the protection of the multi-layered identity of this rapidly changing and transforming city
In conclusion, this study contributes to academic discussions on urban history, cultural geography, conservation and heritage studies, tourism and sociology studies. It shows that the “sayfiye” places of İstanbul are not only a reflection of social changes but also of the spaces that shape these changes. The enduring impact of the “sayfiye” culture on the urban fabric of İstanbul makes this phenomenon not only a historical issue but also a valuable perspective for understanding contemporary urban dynamics and cultural sustainability.
